Before proceeding further, please note, that although the text below was edited, it’s still a

machine translation. I don’t have any knowledge of the Chinese language and English
isn’t my first language either. This isn’t and can’t be an accurate translation.

If you encounter any lines highlighted by red - that means that Rauch couldn’t figure out the
right translation/meaning, became depressed and gave up. These lines were either left as they
are, either replaced with something that makes sense contextually.

For the context: Xie Lian and Hua Cheng want to alleviate Brocade Immortal’s resentment by
going into his memories and preventing Ling Wen from killing him there. Hua Cheng uses the
technique called Die meng (Butterfly Dream). It assigns a new identity to the user(s) and allows
them to interact with memories inside the other person’s mind. Hua Cheng’s spiritual powers
aren’t restored yet, so he doesn’t know if there will be any side effects or accidents when they
get inside.

…
Xie Lian began to feel odd and dangerous: "How strange would it be? For example, his
sister-in-law or something like that?”

Hua Cheng laughed and said: "Not that strange! When Butterfly Dream arranges a new identity
for you, you must get the approval of the owner of the mind first, they should feel that you are
indeed suitable for this role. Unless his sister-in-law is really a man, how can it not feel
awkward? Gege, is this what you are afraid of?”

Xie Lian was so embarrassed. Just then, he heard faint voices in front of them, and he quickly
grabbed Hua Cheng and ran: "We're here! Let’s go!”

Not long after, Xie Lian ran out onto a street.

This street was busy and quite bustling. This place inside Bai Jing’s mind felt so real. Xie Lian
was very intrigued. He looked at himself again: he was still wearing plain white Taoist robes,
carrying a small bamboo basket filled with medicinal herbs on his back. It seems that his
assigned identity in Brocade Immortal's mind is still that of a wandering Taoist. What a weirdo.

Xie Lian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and turned around with a smile: "San Lang!
Look, I am…"

But there was no one behind him. He blinked. Hua Cheng was gone.

Xie Lian: "San Lang?!"

He and Hua Cheng were separated!

272
 Chapter 16
The prince plays with flowers in brocade clothes and dreams of butterflies.

Calm down.

Xie Lian quickly convinced himself: Maybe it was because Hua Cheng's identity in Brocade
Immortal's mind was different from his, he was sent to a different place as soon as he stepped
in, and he would start looking for him soon. He could also take the initiative and look for Hua
Cheng himself.
It is not that hard and there is no need to make a fuss about it.

So Xie Lian calmed down, and he immediately got the business. Just as a few drunken soldiers
were walking crookedly down the street, he quickly stopped one and asked, "Excuse me, do you
know where General Bai is?"

But the soldier glared at him: "Who is General Bai? There's no general surnamed Bai in our Xuli
Kingdom"

It seems that Bai Jing has not yet become a general at this time. Xie Lian said again: "Then
where is Bai Jing?"

The soldier still stared at him: "Who is Bai Jing?

That's strange. According to the information, Bai Jing became famous on the battlefield quite
early. Every soldier in the army should know that there is such a person. Xie Lian didn't want to
ask this, but he had no choice, so he said: "Then do you know an extremely brave warrior who
scares the enemy, but his mind is a little…"

This time, before he could finish speaking, the other party laughed and said, "Oh, you are
talking about him! You should have told that you're looking for that fool earlier!"

The soldier pointed at a small forest, and Xie Lian went there to look for that person,carrying a
small basket with medicine on his back.

Everything was going smoothly. As soon as he arrived in the forest, he spotted a young man
sitting on a tree in the distance. Xie Lian felt that it probably was Bai Jing. He didn't know if he
could rashly appear in front of Brocade Immortal himself in his inner world. So he chose to climb
up another tree, intending to observe from there secretly.

What he saw was quite surprising.

It was rumored that Brocade Immortal was mentally handicapped, but the young man seemed
to be a talented person. This man was at most in his early twenties, with a manly yet a childlike
profile and a face so handsome that the other similarly handsome faces were actually inferior to
him! And his concentrated expression and clear eyes were not what he expected to see.

273

Xie Lian had never seen such a person that had the appearance of a tiger and a sheep at the
same time!

He seemed to be picking something from the tree and putting everything he picked into a small
bamboo basket next to him.

Just now, two more people have entered the forest. Xie Lian and the young man looked down at
the same time, only to see a young man with a young woman.
Obviously, this was a young couple of lovers having a tryst.

The branches were so lush that the couple didn't notice the two people hiding in the woods, and
they even snuggled up under the tree where Bai Jing was, with their heads closely pressed
together, whispering. Of course, they thought they were whispering, but Xie Lian could hear
them clearly from who knows how many feet away, not to mention the Brocade Immortal above
their heads. The two of them snuggled together for a while, and the young man said: "How long
is your father planning to put up with that fool?"

The young girl said: "How should I know? He annoys me to death too."

The young man said sourly: "I don't think he annoys you. I heard that he is invincible on the
battlefield and kills people like crazy. He is so skilled! It’s not too late for general Du to have
such a good subordinate by his side. Won’t he arrange a marriage between you two after a
while?"

The girl slapped him and spat: "What are you talking about! What are you thinking
about? You have no idea, you heartless person. Besides, do you think my father is so stupid
that he would really marry me to him? It's like putting a bone hanging in front of the dog. I’m
scared to think about how many people he killed and how bloody he was. Why can't he just die
on the battlefield?"

After listening to only a few sentences, Xie Lian had already guessed who they were talking
about.

He worriedly glanced at the tree over there, but the young man showed no reaction and
remained motionless.
The young couple below was still laughing and suddenly the girl screamed “Who!”
The young man startled and the two quickly separated. He said, "Who do you call?"

The young girl covered her head and said, "Just now, just now, someone or something hit me!"

The young man was afraid when he heard "someone" and looked around, saying: "Is anyone
here? Who is it? Hurry up and …yo!

Before he could finish speaking he also covered his head and the blood was flowing from his
forehead. When the young man saw this, he jumped down from the tree. Xie Lian was watching
this from a distance and couldn’t stop him in time. He felt bad. This scene was so ugly!

Sure enough, when the young couple saw the man they've been bad mouthing all this time
falling from the sky and also catching them having a private tryst, they were completely
shocked. Although Bai Jing didn't scold them, he simply asked, "What hit you?"

But these people felt so guilty that they didn't dare to say anything. They pressed to each other
and ran away, leaving the young man confused.

Xie Lian was thinking about going down and trying to talk to him, but he heard a crisp laugh. Bai
Jing also heard it. He turned around, but he saw no one, so the voice said: "Up here!"
The voice came from above.He looked up and saw a young man in blue robes pushing aside
the branches with lush green leaves, looking at him with a smile but not a smile through the
speckled lights and shadows.

274

This young man was sixteen or seventeen years old, with a cold white face and delicate
features. He threw a leaf at the person under the tree.

He said: "Hey, why did you come out to help them just now?"

Bai Jing was startled and answered the question incorrectly: "Was you the one who hit them
just now?"

The young man also answered the question incorrectly: "Don't you know what they were
doing?"

Bai Jing finally got on the line and asked: "What were they doing?"

The young man muttered: "They were bullying you."

Bai Jing said: "Were they?"

The young man said: "Weren’t they? She obviously doesn't like you, but she conspires with her
father to make you think that she might get engaged with you, so you’ll charge into battle and
risk your life. Isn't this bullying?

Bai Jing thought for a while and finally said sincerely: "It seems she's thinking too much. When
did General Du say that he wanted her to get engaged to me? I have only met her a couple of
times, so, of course, I wouldn't charge into battle for her."

The young man on the tree laughed wildly and Xie Lian rubbed his forehead. He guessed that
Bai Jing’s superior, general Du might have seriously hinted to Bai Jing, "If you serve me well,
you can marry my daughter and inherit my mantle" and the like, but…Bai Jing probably couldn’t
understand the hint.

Bai Jing added: "And it's alright if she doesn't like me, and it doesn't count as bullying."

The young man said: "How's so?"

Bai Jing said: "I am a fool. Who likes fools?"

He actually said it in a serious tone. All in all, at this time Bai Jing should be the invincible
martial god on the battlefield of Xuli Kingdom, its only savior. However, everyone obviously
lacked respect for him. Ordinary soldiers didn't even know his name. When mentioning him,
they only say "that fool". Everyone is usually referring to him like this, and he
himself doesn't feel like being a savior at all.

The young man finished laughing and jumped down from the tree, saying: "I have never seen
someone admitting to being a fool so confidently. If I had known this, I wouldn't have helped
you."

After he came out of the lush branches and leaves, Xie Lian had a chance to look carefully and
finally confirm one thing - this young man was none other than the male Ling Wen!

The reasons why he wasn't so sure were the following: because he changed to his male form,
because the age was different and, lastly, Ling Wen in Heavens had always been serious and
business-like, with an expressionless face. Xie Lian had never seen such a Ling Wen before.
Ling Wen walked past Bai Jing with hands clasped behind his back and looked at him with a
smile. Bai Jing also looked at him with curiosity.

275

Ling Wen said: "However, you have to be careful when you go back today."

"Be careful about what?"

Ling Wen said: "Be careful of the offenders. You have discovered the affair between the two of
them. They are afraid that you will expose this matter when they return back home. They will
make up rumors everywhere and beat you up."

"Would they do such a thing?

"Yes." Lingwen smiled, "Because if I pour dirty water on you first, no one will believe what you
say."

Bai Jing was very confused: "Why should I tell on them? What they're doing is none of my
business."

Ling Wen said: "Because if faced with a similar situation, that's what they'll do, so they think
you'll do the same. I guess the most likely scenario is that the girl will tell her father that you
behaved frivolously towards her and had bad intentions,but she refused you. This way, she can
discredit you her father's mind and reduce the credibility of your words.”

“Anyway-”

He patted Bai Jing's shoulder, who was a little taller than him, and said, "If I were you, I would
rush over and catch them both right away, and strike first to get advantage"

Bai Jing: "What do you mean by strike first to get advantage?"

Ling Wen: "If you think about it, there are many ways. For example, you can search for private
tokens from them and seize them, or ask them to write confessions and make them public, as a
warning for talking too much. As long as you can make them understand something, that’s
better than doing nothing."

Obviously, Bai Jing had never heard of such an argument before. He looked at him speechless
for a long time, and finally thought of asking a very important thing: "Who are you?"

Ling Wen smiled and said: "My surname is Wen. It doesn't matter who I am, the important thing
is you need to remember my words, otherwise you will suffer."

Bai Jing was still thinking seriously, but as soon as he turned around, the young man
disappeared behind a tree, and he couldn't help but feel surprised.

Xie Lian seized this opportunity to appear, determined to contact the Brocade Immortal, and
jumped down. Unexpectedly, Bai Jing noticed him before he could got off the tree. He actually
took the initiative to greet him and waved: "Medicine Master!"

"Uh…" Xie Lian didn't expect that Butterfly Dream and Brocade Immortal had arranged his
identity so carefully, he was a pharmacist who knew Bai Jing. Bai Jing showed Xie Lian the
small bamboo basket he brought and said, "The herbs you wanted. I’ve searched a lot. Can you
take a look and tell me if I gathered the wrong ones?"

Xie Lian silently recited "I am a pharmacist" in his heart, and flipped through the small basket
dutifully. The basket was full of medicinal herbs, which were all used to stop bleeding, reduce
swelling, and help muscle growth. He said, "Everything seems to be right! Thank you for your
hard work."

276

Bai Jing turned around and said, "Then let's go back!

So Xie Lian followed him. Soon, Xie Lian became very familiar with how Brocade Immortal's
inner world worked. Xuli Kingdom has been at war in recent years and has been besieged by
various countries. There were large and small military camps inside and outside the imperial
city, mixed with civilian residences.

Xie Lian's identity was a wandering Taoist pharmacist who travelled around military camps. This
identity was very useful. He can visit Bai Jing at any time and inquire about Hua Cheng's
whereabouts. But the more he inquired about the news, the more worried he became. Because,
there was actually no news about Hua Cheng at all!

With Hua Cheng's character, he should have taken the initiative to find him a long time ago.
Why was there still no news after several days? The master of this inner world,who he
approached, was unexpectedly calm, which probably shows that Brocade Immortal was not very
hostile to him. But, what about Hua Cheng?

Xie Lian couldn't guess what identity Hua Cheng would be assigned, and he couldn't even find
out!

Today, Xie Lian went to the mountains to collect herbs and went out to look for Hua Cheng
again. As soon as he put the bamboo hat on and picked up the small bamboo basket, Bai Jing
said: "Medicine Master, let me accompany you. I heard that there are demons causing trouble in
and outside of the city recently. It’s very unsettling."

Although Xie Lian was not afraid of any demons, he naturally would not refuse his company. He
said: "This could be troublesome."

The two of them were walking together on the street. It was a chaotic scene, and everyone
looked like they were about to flee at any moment. Bai Jing was pushing a cart from behind and
helping it go up the slope. Suddenly he said: "By the way, pharmacist, you travel around the city
a lot. Do you know any young master surnamed Wen? He is about this tall, sixteen or seventeen
years old, very smart.”
Of course Xie Lian knew who he was asking about. He thought that this cleverness was fatal,
and said: "I have never heard of such a person. Why are you asking?"

Bai Jing said: "I want to ask him for a favor."

Xie Lian was surprised: "Ask him for a favor? What favor?"

In the past few days, Xie Lian has been keeping an eye on Bai Jing in the city, waiting for the
source of his resentment to appear. However, no matter how he looked at it, he felt that Bai Jing
was a person who would not hold any grudges.

Resentment is born of desire. But Bai Jing seemed to have no desire at all. He does not need
money, he is not greedy for fame or credit and does not bear grudges. He didn't even have a
strong appetite for food.

Whenever he had some money, he would use it to buy books and food for children he knew or
didn't know. It's no wonder that Bai Jing was rumored to have the potential to ascend. He is
more of a heavenly official than 99% of the heavenly Xie Lian has ever seen!

277

In short, Bai Jing, although his mind is no better than that of an ordinary person, almost never
causes trouble for others. Even many ordinary people can't do this. Xie
Lian couldn't guess what he would ask Ling Wen to help with.

Before Bai Jing could answer him, suddenly, there was a thunderous earthquake at the end of
the long street. The two looked at each other: "What's going on?"

Accompanied by the sound of wild horse hooves, a large group of black-clothed riders surged
forward with a black horse in the middle of them.

On the black horse there sat a rider in red. He was so fast that it was too hard to make out his
appearance, but his skills were unmatched. A burst of overwhelming black mist chased the
group of riders. The man in red charged forward, while the riders in black wielded their swords
and fiercly fought with the twisted black energy.

There really are demons causing trouble! While Xie Lian was wondering why there was such a
powerful evil spirit in this inner world. He left aside the small bamboo basket and ran along the
familiar road, threw out three yellow talismans and said: “Attack!”

Even in a dream world, he couldn't help but wipe out evil spirits when he saw them. He was
unable to bring Ruoye and Fangxin here, so Xie Lian could only defend himself with the
talismans he drew. Bai Jing set aside the medicine basket and wanted to come to help, but Xie
Lian said: "I can handle this alone, you go and help to disperse people on the streets, don't let
them gather together!

Bai Jing turned around and quickly walked away, leaving Xie Lian on his own to deal with this
situation. In order to get closer to the black mist, Xie Lian jumped on the
shoulders of several black riders, flipped up in the air, and threw out three more talismans.

Right in the heart!

The black fog was repelled by the talisman’s spell, and Xie Lian landed softly on the ground.
Before he could catch his breath, a red shadow suddenly flashed in front of his eyes. The man
in red had appeared in front of him before he knew it, and took off his bamboo hat with a flick of
his hand.

The sun was shining brightly, and Xie Lian couldn’t open his eyes for a moment. He stretched
out his hand to block out the light and said, "Why are you…? "But he couldn't finish saying his
words because the other person grabbed his wrist forcefully.

Xie Lian took a closer look and his eyes widened: "San Lang?!" "

The man was a sixteen or seventeen year old boy with dazzlingly handsome features. He was
dressed in a red maple saddle suit with a silver girdle tied to his slim waist, his hands covered
with shining black deer-skin gloves.

Who could it be if not Hua Cheng, whom he hadn't seen for so many days? Hua Cheng took his
hand, and tilted his head. A pair of sterling silver maple leaf earrings swayed lightly over his
cheeks. He raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Where is this taoist priest from? Staring
at people so rudely."

Xie Lian had not seen Hua Cheng for a long time and was happy to see him at first. But
unexpectedly, he slapped him in the face when he opened his mouth. He felt angry and being
ridiculed and said, "You obviously grabbed me first, that’s why I looked at you. How come I’m
the one being rude? "

Hua Cheng raised his eyebrows, but before he spoke, the man in black behind him said: You
taoist priest are a brave one. Are you saying that our young master is being rude?

Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief and said: “I know, the identity you’ve been assigned is that one
of the noble son of the Imperial City, right? That quite suits you.

278

Okay, San Lang, stop fooling around. There are still many things to do. Let’s go back and talk…
San Lang? He tried to pull his hand away, but Hua Cheng didn’t let go. Xie Lian pulled harder
but the hand remained motionless.

Xie Lian finally felt something was wrong.

He tentatively said: San Lang?

Hua Cheng grasped his hand with a smile,nearly pulling a staggering Xie Lian into his embrace,
and said “Since earlier, I really wanted to ask: Daozhang gege, do I know you?

Why do you call me with such familiarity?”

”You…”

“San Lang, San Lang.” Hua Cheng seemed to carefully try out these two words. Then, he
brightly smiled, saying, “It sounds nice. Not bad.”

”I…”

Chaos, chaos, chaos.

What a mess!!!

Xie Lian remembered: Hua Cheng said before that his spiritual powers have not been restored
yet, and that he didn’t know what changes could happen after entering the brocade’s mind.
Could it be –

Could it be this change he talked about?

Hua Cheng didn’t even remember him, nor himself!

Xie Lian really didn’t know how to deal with this situation. After being confused for a while, he
caught a glimpse of Hua Cheng’s other hand. He subconsciously reached out to grab his
bamboo hat and said “Give me the bamboo hat!”

Hua Cheng threw the hat back into the hands of one of his men, bent down slightly and picked
up Xie Lian under his knees. Somehow, Xie Lian was lifted and carried on his shoulders.

Xie Lian’s world turned upside down in an instant. He felt like he was being carried as some sort
of cloth bag and he was shocked.

He said: “What are you doing? Put me down!”

It was impossible for him to get down. Hua Cheng carried him and got on the horse easily and
neatly. He held the reins with his black deerskin gloves and said “Let’s go back to the manor.”

Xie Lian: “You!”

What was that? Even if you’re a noble young master, can you abduct someone off the street like
this??

Xie Lian could fight, but he didn’t know what level of strength Hua Cheng had now. If he fought
too hard, would he hurt Hua Cheng by mistake? So he struggled for a long time and in the end,
he didn’t dare to move at all so he could only lay back.

Defeatedly, he said:

279

"What are you doing?! "

Hua Cheng: "Arresting you."

Xie Lian: "I'm asking why are you arresting me?"

Hua Cheng teased: Daozhang gege can't blame me. It's a hectic time, people are suspicious, if
not you, who will be arrested? Xie Lian argued, "What's fishy about me?" I just saved your life,
San…Can you put me down? This way...I feel very uncomfortable. "

It was really uncomfortable, and his soft lower abdomen was stuck on Hua Cheng's hard
shoulder.

Hua Cheng said, "Okay, it's up to you then."

After that, he really put Xie Lian down, in front of his horse. So, they became two people
traveling together. Xie Lian was still confused, and Hua Cheng said, "Daozhang gege has
nothing to say right now, does he?» "

Hua Cheng sat behind Xie Lian. He was taller than Xie Lian and when he talked to him, he
deliberately lowered his head close to his ear, making Xie Lian feel embarrassed. He felt like a
child sitting in his arms, and said, "I want to get down."

He wanted to turn around and get off the horse, but Hua Cheng immediately grabbed him by the
wrist, held it and warned him half-seriously: "This Daozhang gege, you're really going too far.
You said you want to get down, I obeyed and yet you are like this again. What do you want to
do, huh?"

In his usual form Hua Cheng's mouth was already so powerful that Xie Lian couldn’t fight back,
and right now Xie Lian was even more powerless to defend himself verbally and was simply
stunned.

Black horse galloped wildly and Xie Lian wanted to collapse: "Slow down!”
Hua Cheng urged the horse with one hand and hugged him with the other, saying, "Don't be
afraid! I'm here, you can't fall!"

Although the current situation was strange, Xie Lian felt inexplicably relieved after hearing this.
At that time, something happened behind his waist. Something stung him. Xie Lian reached
back with his hand and touched this thing. It was a thorn from a horse whip that Hua Cheng was
carrying on his silver belt. It pricked him and he pulled his hand back.

Hua Cheng slightly lowered his head and said, "Don't touch it."

The silver earrings in his ears swayed and dazzled in everyone’s eyes but Xie Lian really didn’t
dare to move anymore.

He led his men and horses back home. As soon they arrived at Hua Cheng’s “manor”, Xie Lian
was shocked: isn’t this the Paradise Manor? This is the Brocade Immortal’s mind. Everything
should be presented here according to the memory and wishes of the owner of the mind. It’s as
difficult to create things out of nothing as to ascend to Heaven, but Hua Cheng actually
managed to place the Paradise Manor here so rudely!

As soon as he got off the horse, Hua Cheng took him to the hall. At the end there was a familiar
black jade couch, covered with a huge white tiger skin. If the tiger was still alive, it sure would be
a ferocious beast.

Xie Lian was still deep in thoughts and Hua Cheng placed him right on the tiger skin. Xie Lian
sat there upright, feeling completely at loss. Hua Cheng crossed his arms and looked at him.

280

He seemed very satisfied, making Xie Lian feel like was some precious ornament. He looked at
Hua Cheng very cautiously, not knowing how to talk to him in this state. But Hua Cheng also
had slumped besides him on the tiger skin and asked with a smile: “Gege, do you like it?”

As soon as he called “gege” the usual Hua Cheng seemed to return and Xie Lian’s heart moved
“Ah?”
Hua Cheng patted tiger’s head: “Do you like it?”

Xie Lian really couldn’t understand Hua Cheng’s current way of thinking, so he had to play
along: “Tiger skin? Yes, it’s really majestic and gorgeous…”

Hua Cheng suddenly sat up cross-legged and said with a smile: I was the one who defeated it.
Isn’t this amazing?”

Xie Lian: “That awesome. So, Gongzi, can you let me go back?”
He had to keep an eye on Bai Jing to ensure that he didn’t miss any important scenes. Hua
Cheng looked at him and said: “Have you always called me that?”

Xie Lian couldn’t help it anymore, so he changed his wording and said: “San Lang. San Lang,
can you let me go back?”

Hua Cheng laid down next to him with his hand supporting his head and said: “No.” Xie Lian
was stunned for a moment. He tried to think of a reason why. It seems that before he almost
never heard Hua Cheng saying no to him. He asked: “Why are you holding me here?”

Hua Cheng tilted his head and asked: “Why?”

He thought for a while and simply said: “I don’t know why. However, as soon as I saw your face,
I felt that I knew you. Anyway, I can’t let you go, so there’s no point asking why.”

After Xie Lian heard this, his heart felt slightly warm again, and he said hesitantly: “But there’s
something very important and very urgent that I need to do.”

Hua Cheng patted the tiger’s head twice more, put one leg on the other, looking very reliable,
and said: “What’s the matter? Tell me and I’ll help you to solve it.”

Suddenly, something howled outside of the window. Hua Cheng’s face became solemn, he
turned over and sat up, reaching out to protect Xie Lian. Xie Lian looked up and saw through the
window the black cloud, it was as if there were thousands of ghost claws scratching on the
windows, doors and walls.

The sound was so harsh, that it made people want to cover their ears and scream. Hua Cheng
couldn’t remember that he was a Ghost King feared by everyone in the three realms, but his
nature couldn’t be changed. Despite facing this terrifying situation there was no fear on his face.
He just hummed: “Pathetic.”

He thought for a while and wrapped Xie Lian with the big tiger skin.

Xie Lian was wrapped in a tiger skin like a baby in swaddling clothes. While he secretly laughed
he also felt that he somehow figured out this Hua Cheng.

281

How should he put it? It seemed easy for this Hua Cheng to get happy and easy to lose his
temper. He was even more… unscrupulous, with a hint of willfulness that was rarely found in the
usual Hua Cheng.

He poked his head out of the tiger skin and asked: “What’s that outside?”
Hua Cheng took the book and flipped through it, put it aside, took another book, flipped through
it again and said: “Don’t worry about it, it’s just something that happens everyday. We should
mind our own business. They can’t hurt you as long as you stay here. Do you want to read a
book?”

As if afraid that he would be bored, Hua Cheng put the carefully selected book into Xie Lian’s
hands. Xie Lian took the book without looking, and, after thinking for a moment, figured out what
was going on. Those demons outside were Brocade Immortal’s defense against Hua Cheng.

Deep in the Brocade immortal’s heart, he believed that Hua Cheng was a dangerous person. So
he transformed part of his mind into demons and monsters, which were constantly attacking
Hua Cheng to prevent this dangerous person from wreaking havoc inside his mind.

Hua Cheng also had a way to deal with these attacks.

Although he couldn’t remember himself and had no power inside the Butterfly Dream, his mind
still was strong, so he built inside the Brocade Immortal’s mind a place that belonged entirely to
him – “Paradise Manor”.

“Manor”(坊 Fāng) is actually a metaphor for “defence” (防 Fáng). Inside the “Paradise Manor”,
Hua Cheng is still the master, so it’s absolutely safe. But whenever he goes out, he will be
attacked by “demons”.

No wonder Bai Jing said there are lots of demons causing troubles in the city recently. It’s
because every time Hua Cheng goes out he ends up being surrounded by ghosts, but he still
kept going out…to look for Xie Lian.

Although he doesn’t remember himself or Xie Lian, he is sure of one thing: he wants to bring Xie
Lian back to the Paradise Manor. Because he faintly feels that this place was the safest.

Thinking of this, Xie Lian took a look at the book he didn’t feel like reading and started to look
around for any novelties he could find. After looking at Hua Cheng Xie Lian become even more
determined: he must calm down Brocade Immortal’s resentment in this state of mind!

He lifted up the tiger skin and Hua Cheng immediately warned him: “Daozhang gege, you can’t
leave.”

Xie Lian said: “I’m not leaving. I’m taking you out.”

Hua Cheng was slightly startled. Xie Lian said in the gentlest tone: “Do you want to come with
me? I’ll take you out…to play? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely protect you.”

How could Hua Cheng disagree? He didn’t want to be bored in Paradise Manor. When he heard
that Xie Lian wanted to take him out to play, he was very eager to go, but then he immediately
frowned and said: “These things are still outside, you can’t go out. It’s not safe.”
 282

Xie Lian saw how caring he was about the other and his desire to rub his forehead surged in his
heart again. It was hard for him to get up and it took him a while to say: “It doesn’t matter. Those
things can’t hurt me, look!.”

As he spoke, he threw a talisman through the window and the demons screamed and dispersed
like thick ink in the water. Xie Lian retrieved his hand and said with a smile: “How was it? Is
daozhang gege not bad? Are you relieved now?”, after thinking for a while, he added: “If you
want to go with me, I’ll accompany you every day…eh! Hua Cheng almost ran out with him
outside.

In front of the manor there stood a beautiful and strong black horse. Xie Lian was still there
reflecting on a fact that he was basically deceiving a child right now. He hesitated when he saw
it and looked embarrassed: “You want to ride a horse?”

Hua Cheng’s spiked whip struck loudly in the air and he said proudly: “Daozhang gege, are you
afraid to ride a horse? Don’t worry, I’ll be behind you, I’ll protect you.

After hearing Hua Cheng repeating his solemn promise Xie Lian wanted to cover his ears:
“Don’t be like this! Who said that I’m afraid to ride a horse?”

It was because Hua Cheng was going to sit behind him that he didn’t want to ride!

In the end, he still couldn’t defeat Hua Cheng and the two shared a ride. The wind and light
were passing by along the road. Hua Cheng was smiling all the way and he was so happy that
Xie Lian felt miserable. The streets were full of people watching them in surprise. Although he
knew that these were not real people, he still wanted to bury his head in a horse!

There was no sight of Bai Jing on the streets, so the two went to the outskirts of the city. Bai
Jing had a small wooden cabin there, which he built with his own hands. He didn’t live here
himself, but there were many homeless children and children from poor families that came to
play here. Sometimes he stayed there overnight. Maybe he preferred to get along with children
more than with adults when he wasn’t on a battlefield.

Hua Cheng stopped his horse and dragged Xie Lian down before he had a chance to escape.
He said: “Daozhang gege, you brought me here. What are you going to do in this place? What
fun is there? There are so many children.”

Xie Lian thought to himself “It’s not like I can’t ride a horse. I’m obviously pretty good at it. Why
am I like this?”, and said helplessly: “What’s wrong with so many children? Don’t you like them?”

Hua Cheng said: “I don’t like them.”

Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He didn’t know before that Hua Cheng didn’t like
children. Hua Cheng emphasized: “Children are very annoying!”

At this time, Bai Jing came out of the wooden cabin, carrying two crying children with him. When
he saw Xie Lian he hurriedly said: “Medicine Master, you are back, come and help me!”

After meeting Bai Jing Hua Cheng’s expression showed no change, but his brows were slightly
knitted. Faced with an uninvited guest, Bai Jing also frowned in confusion. It seems, although
both sides were unconscious, they were vaguely aware of how dangerous the other party.is.

283

Xie Lian stepped in between them, taking a child in each hand and asked: “What happened to
them?”

Bai Jing looked away, scratched his head and said: “They were fighting and they were knocked
down. I couldn’t find you when I went back to the city earlier. Where have you been?”

Xie Lian skillfully checked the wounds of the two children, applied medicine and coaxed them,
while smiling and saying: “I made you worry. But I’m fine. I met a friend along the road and he
invited me to his house as a guest.”

Bai Jing was about to speak, but suddenly his eyes lit up and he rushed out. Xie Lian followed
him with his gaze and immediately smiled, thinking to himself: “Here he comes.”

He saw a young man in blue robes, with his hands clasped behind his back, passing by. Bai
Jing shouted: “Wait!”

This young man was Ling Wen. As soon as he turned around, Bai Jing rushed forward and said
overjoyed: “I’ve been looking for you everywhere! You finally came!”

Ling Wen slowly pushed him away with one finger. “Don’t pull on me.”(Don’t pull the address??)

Bai Jing quickly let go. Ling Wen looked at him with a smile: “How did it go? I told you to be
careful last time, but was I right?”

Bai Jing said: “I was just about to tell you this. You are so smart and everything you say is right.
These two did exactly as you said back then.”

Ling Wen said: “When do you recall what I asked you to remember? Those two are timid. You
should follow my advice and stain then first, so they won’t dare to spread rumors and stain you.”
Bai Jing said honestly: “No. He has to be used as a hundred people how can he have time!”
Ling Wen sighed and said: “You are stupid. I told you the answer, but you didn’t do it.”

Bai Jing said: “Forget it. I want to ask for your help with something else. Brother Wen, can you
come and teach the children here?”

Ling Wen looked at him, speechless, it was unknown whether it was because he didn’t expect
such a request, or because of the way he was addressed.

Bai Jing thought he was hesitating, so he immediately reached out for the small purse hanging
from his waist, opened it, and showed it to him: “I’m paying you. These are all for you.”

Ling Wen glanced into this pocket and said, “With so much money, why don’t you go and invite
scholars?

Bai Jing shook his head: “I tried. But none of them were good.”

Xie Lian could guess what exactly was wrong. Back hundreds of years ago, there weren’t that
many scholars around. Bai Jing definitely didn’t know any talented people, and he couldn’t tell
who was a real scholar and who was a crooked melon. Even if he could occasionally find
someone who has actually studied for several years, none of them had the ability to teach. Most
of the time they will do the job negligently and treat everyone as a fool.

284

Bai Jing said to himself: "Children will become fools if no one cares about them. They mustn’t
become fools." Lingwen said: "Who said that? No one was taking care of me, so why didn't I
become a fool??"

Bai Jing seemed not to know how to answer and looked at him. Ling Wen said again: "And why
you were looking for me? We have only met once. Do I seem like a nice and patient person?
What made you think that I would agree to your request?"

Bai Jing's face turned red, as if he was desperately thinking of what else he could come up with
to invite his favorite "master" to teach. Xie Lian felt sorry for him just by looking at him. Bai Jing
felt that the young man was smart and kind-hearted. It was probably because when they first
met, Ling Wen warned him to be wary of that young couple. He had placed unlimited hopes on
him and prepared a generous reward. He was completely unprepared to be coldly rejected. If
this was not Brocade Immortal's inner world, and if it wasn't for his inability to randomly tamper
with important events in Brocade Immortal's memory, Xie Lian would definitely have to go to his
rescue. However, just right when Bai Jing was at a loss, Ling Wen sighed again and said,
"Where are the pupils?
Bai Jing looked at him. Ling Wen said: "You have to show me first who I am going to teach,
right?"

In the end, Ling Wen was dragged to work like a sack.

It should be said that Ling Wen deserves to be the number one Civil god in Heavens in the
future. Even if he is teaching a group of rural orphans with no foundation, he is capable of
explaining profound things in simple terms. Xie Lian feels that the most powerful thing about
Ling Wen is that he can arouse the interest in this group of children. Once the interest is raised,
they will naturally rush to read. Sure enough, just one single lesson was effective. Bai Jing was
so happy watching a group of children sitting at the table and reading books, that he said:
"Brother Wen, I have never seen such a smart person like you!"

Ling Wen was resting his forehead on one hand and writing down a content of a lesson on the
paper with the other, as he said in a low voice: "You are too stupid!"

It indeed can be said. While the other children were studying, Bai Jing also sat there with his
arms folded and listened carefully.

However, after half an hour, all the students had memorized hundreds of words, but Bai Jin
couldn't remember any of them. He forgot, he couldn’t remember and he couldn't even
remember his own name.

But from Xie Lian’s point of view, his problem was more like an "injury", like a broken hand
tendon and a finger that cannot use its strength, rather than a simple stupidity. Xie Lian once
met a colleague who was originally a smart scholar, but once he was pushed and his head hit
the corner of the wall. After the injury was cured, he had a headache every time he tried to read.
No matter how hard he stared and tried, he couldn't pronounce these words, let alone write
them, even if he was familiar with them. In the end, he had no choice but to start collecting the
rags.

Ling Wen raised his leg and stepped on a stool, knocking on the table. Bai Jin consciously
polished his ink for him and continued to sincerely praise: "You are so smart and kind.”

Ling Wen said: “I'll tell you the truth. No one has ever said that I am kind in my life.”

While the classes were taking place inside, Xie Lian had been sitting at the door of the cabin
making medicine, with Hua Cheng beside him, boredly helping him sort the medicinal
ingredients. He stretched out his two long legs and raised a hand between his eyebrows in the
dim sunlight.

285

He looked very hateful(?). But seeing that Xie Lian was paying attention to classes inside, he
threw a piece of medicinal herb in front of Xie Lian.
Xie Lian didn't notice, so he stretched his legs in front of Xie Lian, and lightly touched Xie Lian's
leg with his silver-chained boots.

Xie Lian finally came back to his senses and asked: "What's wrong?"

Seeing him turning his gaze back, Hua Cheng was happy again. Xie Lian said apologetically:
"I'm sorry, do you find this boring?"

Hua Cheng said: "It's not boring. But what's so interesting about them learning to write? It's so
ugly. Don't look at it."

Right now, Ling Wen was teaching the children how to write their names. White paper was
scattered all over the floor and the ink on the paper was like dirt. It all was indeed unsightly.

Xie Lian thought to himself: “You shouldn't say that. You didn’t write a single word.”

Someone must be good looking. A few older children were glancing here unconvincingly.(?)

However, Hua Cheng looked like an arrogant noble man, and no one dared to say anything.
Ling Wen took a look at him and called over a child: "Tong Qian."

The child went over (to Ling Wen) to listen to him whisper a few words, then came over (to
hualian) with sheets of paper and a brush. Xie Lian smiled and said: "Master Wen, what does
this mean?"

Ling Wen also smiled and said: "These children are beginners, and my abilities are limited. I
don't think I can teach them very well. But this young master beside you has an outstanding
appearance, he is surely extraordinary, he must be good at writing. Can you ask him to pick up
a brush to give us a pointer or two?"

The kid named Tong Qian proudly imitated him and said, "Please!"

Paper and brush were put in front of Hua Cheng, all the compliments were said, everyone was
stood up, but Hua Cheng was silent. Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Hua Cheng
was keenly aware of something.

Xie Lian hurriedly said: "Well, you don't need to force yourself. Forget it if you don't want to do
this. You don't have to write it."

After he said this, Hua Cheng had to prove himself, and he grabbed the brush with a swish. But
the brush tip was stuck three inches above the paper, and it seemed like it couldn't find the
writing point. Seeing him like this, Xie Lian felt even more sad.

He said: "San Lang."

Hua Cheng: "What?"

Xie Lian whispered: "The way you hold the brush is wrong."

Hua Cheng: "…"

In the end, Hua Cheng took a stack of white paper and angrily walked to the grove alone to
write. He didn't want others to see it. Xie Lian went to find him after a while and found that the
ground was full of crumpled scraps of paper.

He picked one up and wanted to unfold it, but Hua Cheng immediately took it away and said,
"You can't look at it."

286

Xie Lian smiled and said: "Why can't you show it to me? It's not a big deal?" It's not like he
hasn't seen it before.

Seeing that he didn't listen, Hua Cheng warned: "Daozhang gege." Then he lit a fire and
proceeded to burn what he had written.

Xie Lian picked up another ball of paper, and Hua Cheng grabbed it again. Xie Lian raised his
hand in defense: "I don't want to look, I want to help you." Help you to destroy the corpse and
eliminate all traces.

Hua Cheng didn't let him touch these things again and burned all the paper balls on the ground.
Xie Lian watched him tossing around for a long time, setting fires everywhere. He was laughing
so hard, but he didn't dare to laugh out loud, and said: "This makes you feel relieved, right?
Okay, okay, put out the fire quickly, let's go back! Go back to the cabin."

In this manner they continued for the next few days, with Xie Lian taking Hua Cheng with him to
observe the situation, and then returning to Paradise Manor with him in the evening.

Ling Wen agreed to Bai Jing's request and refused to take the payment. However, he asked to
come here only when he wanted. He was mysterious and was coming over to give a few
classes every few days. The others didn't know this, but it was because he could only come
down when there was no official business in Heaven.

Bai Jing admired him very much. Regardless of whether he understood and remembered
anything or not, he always sat on a small bench and listened carefully. Since Ling Wen didn't
ask for compensation, he felt that he was taking advantage of him and was always ready to fulfil
Ling Wen's requests. Although most of these requests were about him stopping wasting paper
and ink by trying to learn to write.

But those days lasted for a month and then ended abruptly. After a certain day, Ling Wen has
stopped coming here.
By now, the children in the cabin were roughly able to read and write on their own, and their
progress was rapid.

Many of them could only read for a few years. According to what Ling Wen said before, at this
point, they can continue learning on their own, he has already written down what books to read
next, so there is no need for him to teach them anymore.

But Bai Jing didn't think this way.

He started to visit the cabin more and more frequently, but no matter how long he waited, he
never saw Ling Wen again. Based on what Hua Cheng told him about his past, Xie Lian
guessed that Ling Wen must have been deeply involved in the "Shenwu Fu" scandal in Heaven
at that time, and naturally, he had no intention of coming down to play with him.

But Xie Lian also knew that Ling Wen would come to give Bai Jin a fatal blow sooner or later!

A few months later, the Lord of Xuli Kingdom announced to the world that he would hold a
Lingbo literary meeting in the Lingbo Tower in the Imperial City.

The so called Lingbo literary meeting, as the name suggests, has the appearance of Lingbo,
and the second is the meeting with literature.

287

Everyone who goes to the meeting brings their beauties with them one after another, and they
have to compete in the contest to warm up the atmosphere. If they win first place, they can
choose among all the beauties attending the meeting the one they like the most, and go to the
top pavilion of the Lingbo Tower along with her to catch the moon and stars. Like this, they will
become famous all over the world.

That night, the princes, nobles and generals had already arrived at Lingbo Tower with their
gorgeous girls. Bai Jing was also waiting in front of the Lingbo Tower.

He was extremely tall and that made him stand out from the crowd. Even if there were many
military generals present, he still stood out from the rest of them.

The eyes of girls lit up, and a gorgeous beauty said: "I wonder which general this is, why is he
unaccompanied? Should I call my sisters over?"

She was holding hands with a bearded man who looked like a general. Xie Lian vaguely
remembered that his surname was Feng and that he was of a high status. He snorted and didn't
reply, but the general beside him laughed: "Madam, please don't throw your sisters into the fire
pit. Don't you know who this person is? He's Bai Jing!"

“Ah, this….”
Although Bai Jing is brave, his bravery can only make him invincible on the battlefield, it can't
bring him any real benefits. He didn’t care about things that others cared about, so every time
his military exploits were divided up between his superiors and his peers, all the rewards he
received were also distributed to others. There was almost nothing to gain from him, and
coupled with the rumors of him being "mentally incompetent", how could he have someone? Is
there such a girl who's willing to get close to him? So on the day of Qixi, everyone else was
surrounded by beauties hugging each other, but he was alone.

The girls were quite sorrowful: he was obviously handsome, but he was an idiot. What a pity,
what a pity! But the soldiers were not very happy. The reason why the Xuli Kingdom was in such
a state of decay is because the courts and battlefields were full of drunkards.

The more drunk they are, the less capable they are. In the past, they would always have their
backs cut by people with clear eyes. They weren’t as good as that handsome man, so they had
been holding grudges for a long time. And now, they saw that all the girls in their arms were
fascinated by Bai Jing's appearance, so they inevitably became jealous and tried to belittle him
in various ways. Xie Lian was keeping an eye on Bai Jing nearby, and it was inevitable that he
would hear all this nonsense, he really couldn't listen to it anymore. With Bai Jing's ears, it was
impossible for him not to hear it, so Xie Lian went over and said, "General Bai, do you want to
go back?"

Bai Jing shook his head and said: “I checked with the camp and there was nothing for me to do
today. And the literary meeting will last only a few hours.”

Xie Lian also knew that he had to wait, but he still asked because he couldn’t bear it. He knew
very well that Bai Jing came here to see Ling Wen. Because today happens to be his birthday.

Others receive gifts on their birthdays, but on Bai Jing's birthday it's the other way around. Most
of the people he interacted with on a daily basis were small children as Tong Qian. He gifted
some small things to these people. Even Xie Lian received an exquisite wooden rice spoon.
Although it was strange to receive a rice spoon, it still made Xie Lian very happy.

288

At the end of the day, Bai Jing still held a small paper bag in his arms that he had not given out.
It wasn’t hard to guess who it was reserved for. The young masters from aristocratic families will
not miss today's Lingbo literary meeting. This is a great opportunity to make a name for
themselves in front of the world. But the problem is that Ling Wen is not a young master from a
wealthy noble family at all.

The longer Bai Jing waited there, the more ridiculing and mocking the other's gaze towards him
was. Especially since he didn't eat or drink, didn't chat or laugh, or raised toasts, he just stood
there, looking more and more in line with the rumored appearance of a mentally handicapped
weirdo.

Xie Lian thought for a while and said: "It's okay if you want to keep watching. However, you don't
have to guard the door. You can go in and sit down and wait there. "

This way it would be not so eye-catching, and others won't have such a big target to talk about.
Bai Jing said: "There are so many people sitting inside, it's too chaotic and easy to miss the
person."

Xie Lian smiled and said: "Can't we just sit by the door? Everyone’s passing by it. And I'll help
you. Look, two people with four eyes can’t miss anything, right?"

He tried to persuade him, and Bai Jing was finally convinced. Xie Lian went with him towards
the building.

But suddenly, before he even had a chance to step through the door, he was blocked by several
guards who asked, "What are you doing?"

Xie Lian said warmly: "Excuse me, we are here to participate in the literary meeting."

The guard said harshly: "The literary meeting has already started, you are late, please come
back next time!"

Just before them there were several people who marched straight inside without anyone
stopping them, but now they were not allowed to enter. Xie Lian knew that these guards must
have been instructed by someone to deliberately make things difficult for them. Just as he was
about to speak, he suddenly heard a thunderous sound of horse hooves on the streets. He
turned around and saw a group of riders in black rushing towards Lingbo Tower led by a figure
in red.

Perhaps feeling that this visitor was unusual, the nobles present in the literary meeting slowed
down and became quiet even as they drank and ate. Still wearing the same maple red riding
suit, Hua Cheng turned over and dismounted, and a pair of silver earrings swayed up.

He took off his deerskin gloves and threw them into the hands of the attendant behind him. He
smiled before he exclaimed:

"Gege!"

When Xie Lian saw him, he hurriedly said: "San Lang, calm down first!"

But Hua Cheng was already wound up. He glanced at Lingbo's entrance plaque, dropped his
smile, and said: "Gege, gege, are you blocked at the door?"

Xie Lian: "No, no, no, nothing of the sort, calm down first!
Hua Cheng had turned into a sneer. He held a spiked riding whip in his hand which was making
sharp and dangerous noises, and said: "What kind of nonsense literary meeting is this? Isn't it
just a group of people eating, drinking and copying articles? What’s so noble about it?"

Before he could raise his whip and give an order to attack, Xie Lian had already pounced on him
and dragged him aside.

Because he was being constantly attacked by ghosts in this realm, Hua Cheng was extremely
aggressive towards everything inside the Brocade Immortal’s mind, almost exploding at the
slightest touch, and completely unable to control himself. After such a period of time, Xie Lian
had already experienced his destructive power.

289

Last time Xie Lian went to the military camp to practice medicine, he was blocked by some
stupid soldiers. Before he could do anything, Hua Сheng almost bulldozed the entire military
camp and even the entire street. He would demolish the entire Lingbo Tower if no one would
stop him.

Xie Lian was almost coaxing him: "San Lang, it's not our fault that we are late. Don't be angry.
Just let’s go in."

Fortunately, Hua Cheng was also very easy to coax, and he calmed down immediately, saying:
"That's because it’s them who are wrong, the time is wrong."

Xie Lian immediately took his hand and said: "Yes! It was them who made the wrong decision!
Let's go in and don't let them make more mistakes."

Hua Cheng looked at his hand and said: "Okay."

Those guards looked at the dark figure in front of the building, and recalled the military camp
and half the city street that had dissolved into nothing not so long ago. If they dared to stop
them again, they would already be thrown eight feet away.

Hua Cheng confidently strode into the lobby of Lingbo Tower with Xie Lian and Bai Jing. There
was a table blocking the way, so he kicked it away. All people’s eyes were focused on them, and
everyone discussed them a lot, but no one dared to say anything out loud. Xie Lian chose a
table near the door and sat down. He thought that in Bai Jing's real life, he must have been
standing at the door waiting all night, with no one taking him in. He couldn't help but sigh.

Hua Cheng asked sharply: "What's wrong?"

Xie Lian smiled and said: "Nothing. I was thinking that the Lingbo literary meeting had already
started. There is a lot of noise upstairs, and it seems that a contest is already in full swing. I
wonder who will win this year? Who are they? Which beauty will they choose to go to the top
pavilion with, to reach the stars and the moon?
Hua Cheng said: "Gege, you really want to go to the top of Lingbo Tower?

Xie Lian immediately said: "No!" He must stop this idea of Hua Cheng, otherwise he would be in
trouble if he wanted to compete for the title of leader on a whim. It should be noted that this
Lingbo literary meeting is a competition for essays, and the essays must be handwritten!

Hua Cheng nodded and said: "If my gege wants to go to the top pavilion of the Lingbo to have a
look, it's not that difficult. The modern literary style of Xuli kingdom is very beautiful. If you learn
one article like this, you can write ten other articles according to the pattern. Nine out of ten
leaders of the Lingbo literary meeting followed this approach. Seeing that Xie Lian was very
interested, he commented on the advantages and disadvantages of these leaders. Bai Jing
listened to what they said, but didn't understand, so he looked at the entrance again. No one
came through the door.

There was a banquet on the first floor of Lingbo Tower and a debate on the second floor. When
the result is decided, the leader will descend from upstairs to be welcomed by the crowd. At this
moment, the literary competition upstairs was in full swing, and the roar of people's voices came
one after another. Everyone downstairs raised their glasses and said: "It seems that this year's
literary meeting is very intense! The talented people are making quite a stir. I'm afraid it's not
easy to determine the leader."

Someone said: "I wonder what’s this year’s topic?

Someone answered: "This year's topic is good and timely! There are many famous generals in
Xuli kingdom, and the competition question of this year's Lingbo literary meeting is about
generals. Just pick one and write an essay about them."

290

At present, hundreds of generals in the Xuli Kingdom were withering away, and scholars
couldn’t use them as a topic. The corpses of the great ones are sitting on a plain meal, but they
have the nerve to say that "the famous generals are like clouds." Xie Lian shook his head
gently. But everyone didn't think much of it as they continued to praise each other, "Writing
about a certain general will grant you a winning place in the contest.” “No, no, no, then it is
better to write about a certain general, so that the essay will become famous and will last
forever."

Then someone said with a smile; "It's not a big deal to have any other general as a topic. I
wonder if anyone picked General Bai as their topic?

As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes were fixed on Bai Jing, piercing him like a
hundred spears. General looked calm, and a man who looked like a drunken general came out
and said with a smile: "Write an essay about him as a topic? What should I write about? How
smart he is? Or how he treats his benefactor? Or how he mistreated his benefactor’s daughter?
There were low laughs and Xie Lian frowned.
But he wasn't sure if this was an important moment that Brocade Immortal must pass through in
his life, so he held it back for now.

Not everyone around was showing disapproval of Bai Jing, but due to the fact that some
important soldiers and nobles were still laughing, no one dared to say a good word.

Bai Jing only calmly said: "I didn't." The man sneered: "You didn't? Impossible! You boy are
destined to be without a woman. You have never had one in your life, right? Seeing such a
beautiful girl, how could you hold back?"

He said to himself and came to the conclusion: "You couldn’t help it!”

Xie Lian looked at this person, who was reeking of alcohol, and thought he was truly hateful. He
frowned slightly and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a gasp coming from upstairs.

Everyone downstairs also turned their heads in surprise and said, "What's wrong?" "Is the
competition over?"

Sure enough, a voice from upstairs said: "The lit-literary competition is over. The leader, leader
of Lingbo literary m-meeting is here!”

Everyone was surprised: "Why are you stumbling so much when reporting? It's outrageous!"

But the next moment, they knew why the person upstairs was stuttering when reporting. A tall
person in dark blue robes walked downstairs.

This person was wearing dark blue robes the color of the sea, and their eyes were cold and
clear. They were looking down in an arrogant attitude, which is worthy of being called the leader
of the Lingbo literary meeting.

But what was really outstanding…this leader…this leader…

How could it be a woman?!

The quickest ones to react were those noble gentlemen who were accustomed to it. They
stepped forward to greet her with their faces full of spring breeze and glasses full of fine wine.
But the woman quickly moved past them and pushed away their wine glasses and hospitality,
and walked directly downstairs. The crowd fell silent and unconsciously gave her a way,
watching helplessly as the woman slowly walked up to Bai Jing.

291

Bai Jin looked at her going downstairs and walking over like this, without even blinking. The
woman put her hands behind her back and sighed:
"General Bai, it's really difficult to write an essay with you as the topic.

"Wait."

Bai Jing opened his mouth, but no words came out. The woman waved her hand in front of him,
snapped her fingers, and said politely: "Please?"

Bai Jing looked at her face and wanted to scream but didn't know how. Naturally he was at a
loss.

This was clearly a woman in front of him, but wasn’t this the face of "Brother Wen" who he had
been waiting for?

He didn't move, so the woman shook her head, simply took his arm, walked through the crowd,
and led him upstairs.

Bai Jing was completely stunned and let this person take him up the stairs, leaving all the
shocked people behind.

Seeing this sudden change, Xie Lian grabbed Hua Cheng and ran out without saying a word.
Hua Cheng never asked him what he wanted to do, but was simply helping him with whatever
he was doing. The two of them didn’t take the stairs and instead climbed along the wall,
reaching the top of Lingbo tower before Bai Jing and Ling Wen. They hid behind a rockery, and
then heard someone pushing open the door and coming in.

The woman calmly led Bai Jing all the way to the small pavilion on the roof of Lingbo Tower.
Only when they sat down Bai Jing did react, but he was still not sure, so he asked: "Are
you…Brother Wen?"

Ling Wen didn't answer, she raised his leg and stepped on the stone bench with her boot.

Although Xie Lian has never seen such a casual and rude Ling Wen in Heavens, this is an
action that Ling Wen often did when he had nothing to say in front of Bai Jing. Bai Jing's eyes lit
up when he saw it, and he said, "It's really you!"

Ling Wen pushed him away with a finger and said: "You’re so loud now. Why didn't you argue
back so loudly earlier?"

Bai Jing was so happy to be supported by her, and said: "I didn't want to argue! I was just
waiting for you. I thought you wouldn't come back, but luckily you came today!"

Xie Lian was speechless, and immediately began to admire him again: In any case, his ability to
not care about other people's gossip is very impressive.

Ling Wen was at loss and asked: "What’s going on in your head every day?"

Bai Jing blurted out: "I miss you."

As soon as this sentence came out, Xie Lian, who was eavesdropping, suddenly choked up. He
thought that this was too straightforward. He unintentionally took a look at Hua Cheng. It turned
out that Hua Cheng had also been looking at him, and he had caught his gaze, as if he had
caught a small animal that poked out its head from the burrow. Feeling curious, he whispered:
"Gege he’s talking about himself, why are you embarrassed?"

Xie Lian didn't know why, but it was always easy for him to feel embarrassed in front of Hua
Cheng. Seeing that he was still looking, Xie Lian held his face with both hands and forced him to
turn away, saying: "Look over there!"

292

Over there, Bai Jing blushed after finishing speaking, as if he felt that there was something
wrong with him. For him, who never felt that there was something wrong with him, this was
really rare. Ling Wen finally withdrew the finger and said, "Why do you miss me? Everything’s
fine with me?"

Bai Jing was still blushing, but she still overcame himself and said, "Very good! You are… the
best person I have ever met."

This sentence was absolutely plain, but it definitely came from the heart. He took out the small
paper bag that he had been carrying around the whole day, carefully pushed it in front of Ling
Wen with both hands, and said, "This is for you."

Ling Wen didn't take it and asked: "What is it?"

Bai Jing opened it by himself and said: "It's not something valuable. It's from children. They
missed you after you left. Everyone spent a long time writing their essays and they asked me
when they can see you. I want to show them to you. I made a booklet."

He took out the booklet, opened it to her, and said, "Look, I didn't tell them what they should
write about, but they all wrote about you. I can't understand it, but the characters are still very
nice.

Ling Wen flipped through the pages and commented: "It's too horrible to look at."

From this it can be seen that she will annotate the books sent over to her by other literary
temples with insulting words in the future.

She added: "You can't even understand it, how do you know it's about me?"

Bai Jing said honestly: "I can't understand the essays. But I can understand your name, so I
know it’s about you.”
He was talking about the pseudonym Ling Wen made up casually before. Ling Wen lowered her
head and seemed to be suppressing a smile. After a while, she raised her head and said, "Why
are you giving me this all of a sudden?"

Bai Jing said: "Ah, well, today is my birthday, so I thought of giving you a gift."

Ling Wen: "Shouldn't someone else give you a gift on your birthday? Why is it the other way
around?"

Bai Jing was confused again: "Birthday is a day of great joy, and those who are happy should
share their joy with others, so that everyone is happy… Why should it be the other way
around?"

He had his own set of principles. Xie Lian figured this out a long time ago. Ling Wen obviously
had no intentions of arguing with him and said: "Okay, I see. In that case, I need you to help me
to do one thing today. Would you agree?"

It was like seeing an enemy draw their sword, Xie Lian held his breath and concentrated for a
moment. And Bai Jing said without hesitation: "Yes!"

After thinking about it, Ling Wen changed her words and said, "To put it another way, as long as
you don't do that one thing, everything will be fine."

293

Bai Jing stood upright and said, "What is it? Just say it.”

Ling Wen looked directly at him, moved her upper body slightly forward, and said word for word:
"I want you to ignore worldly affairs and stop fighting for the Xuli Kingdom - can you do it?

Xie Lian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and took a step back.

Fortunately, Ling Wen didn't ask Bai Jing to kill himself, otherwise it would have been his turn to
stop it.

Bai Jing didn’t expect such an excessive request and asked in confusion: "Why?"

Ling Wen leaned back and said with a smile: "Why, you can’t do this?"

Bai Jing thought hard for a long time and said: "Brother Wen, you can make any other requests,
no matter what, I’ll promise you to do it. But not this one, can you ask for something different?"

This time, it was Ling Wen's turn to ask. She said, "Oh? Why?"

Although she was still smiling, Xie Lian felt that there was a hint of coldness in her smile.
Bai Jing was completely unaware of it and explained to her seriously: "Others are attacking us.
If I don't fight everyone will be killed. I can't just ignore this."

Ling Wen took a sip of her tea, as if she thought it was unpleasant to drink, then she put it away
and said: "These people are bullying and insulting you all day long, why do you care about
them?"

Bai Jing scratched his head and said: "They are not the only people in this world, there are
many other people. Anyway, Brother Wen, can you ask for something else?”

Ling Wen said slowly: "But what if I say that someone is making things difficult for me right now,
which is causing me harm? I can survive only if you withdraw from the battlefield and the Xuli
Kingdom is defeated. You still won’t help me?

Bai Jing frowned slightly, stood up and said, "Who is making things difficult for you? The nobles
of Xuli Kingdom?" Ling Wen looked at him for a while and said, "Why did you stand up? Do you
want to settle accounts with them?"

Bai Jing said in a deep voice: "I can. "

Indeed, he can. Although the nobles and soldiers of Xuli Kingdom from top to bottom didn’t have
much respect for him, at least there were a few sensible people who knew that he can’t be left
out. What if he stops taking on the responsibility? Even if Bai Jing is seriously intending to
investigate this matter, he still can’t help his reputation. ((What if the burden is no longer
fulfilled?If Bai Jing seriously investigates something, I can’t help but give him 3 points of thin
noodles))??

Unfortunately, he can’t understand. The dilemma faced by Ling Wen cannot be solved by
human beings. It's not something he can do alone.

Ling Wen’s problem can only be solved by withdrawing from the battlefield, completely defeating
the Xuli Kingdom and dispersing Jing Wen's followers.

And if he doesn't want to quit, then the only thing that can change this is his death!

Xie Lian watched as Ling Wen dropped her smile, pulled him to sit down, and said: "Okay, sit
down.

294

Don't be in a hurry to find troubles. Here, this is for you.”

She pushed out a small wooden box that had been hidden somewhere before. Bai Jing asked
curiously: "What is this?” Ling Wen smiled and said: "You must be really a fool? Don't you know
what day it’s today? This is your birthday gift. "
It’s there!

Xie Lian stared at the box. Bai Jing opened it and took out a piece of clothing.

Headless, sleeveless, and legless- it was indeed the fatal brocade robe. The time has come, Xie
Lian

threw out a talisman, and the "robe" was instantly burned to ashes! At the same time, the
surrounding

scenes and human figures started to distort, and the screams came from all directions. Xie Lian
caught Hua Cheng’s hand and said: “Let’s go!”

Brocade Immortal’s inner world has collapsed!

After a period of confusion, Xie Lian opened his eyes again and found that he had returned to
the edge of Brocade Immortal’s state of mind, to the illusory maple forest.

He was sitting on the swing, leaning back. The reason why he did not fall to the ground was a
pair of hands wrapped in silver wristbands that were steadying him from behind.

Xie Lian turned his head and Hua Cheng was looking at him. But when he met his eyes, Hua
Cheng's expression showed a subtle change.

Although this change was fleeting like ripples in the wind, Xie Lian immediately understood why
he had such an expression.

Just then he immediately recalled so many wonderful performances of Hua Cheng in the
Brocade Immortal’s mind.

The two of them looked at each other like this for a long time. In the end, Xie Lian couldn't hold it
in any longer and laughed: "Hahaha…”

Hua Cheng rarely had such a helpless look: "Gege."

Xie Lian almost fell down from the swing while laughing. He grabbed the rope and said, "Okay,
okay, okay, I won’t laugh. But San Lang, you…”

The way you were inside the Brocade Immortal’s mind was so interesting!

Hua Cheng warned again half-truthfully: "Gege."

Xie Lian was about to shed tears and said: "I won’t laugh anymore. I really won't laugh this time!
But I really wasn’t laughing at you!”

Hua Cheng asked: "Then why were you laughing?"

 295

Xie Lian said seriously: "Because…it was very cute." He was so cute that Xie Lian wanted to pat
his head more than once, but he always endured the pain. He added: "The San Lang in
Brocade Immortal’s butterfly dream is very willful and well-behaved. He is really like a sixteen or
seventeen year old San Lang."

Hua Cheng said: "I wasn’t like that when I was sixteen or seventeen years old."

Xie Lian asked curiously: "Really? Then… what were you like when you were 16 or 17?

He couldn't help but be curious. People like Hua Cheng seem to never have a moment in their
youth when they think outside of the box. It seems that they are born with a calm attitude of
knowing everything and being omnipotent.

Hua Cheng did not answer, but turned his head to one side and said: "I have said before that
my spiritual power has not been restored yet, and there may be accidents. If I had known that
this would happen, I wouldn’t have brought my gege into this state of mind."

Xie Lian hurriedly said: "This wouldn’t do! How can I resolve his grievances if I can’t go in? Well,
we have stopped Ling Wen from killing Bai Jing in his memories. Brocade Immortal’s
resentment should subside a little? We can go out now"

Hua Cheng finally turned around and said: "Logically speaking, it should be like this."

Xie Lian sensed something was wrong and said: "What do you mean by 'logically speaking’?"

Hua Cheng said: "I mean that I can't feel his resentment being alleviated in any way."

296

蝶梦 - Dié mèng - butterfly dream

心境 - Xīnjìng - state of mind, refers to the place/world inside of Bai Jing’s mind/memory. I couldn’t
come up with a less awkward wording, so I’m sticking to “state of mind”, “mind” or “inner world” for
this.

公子 -gōngzǐ - yong master

Bai Jing addresses Ling Wen as 文弟 - Wén dì - Brother Wen

劳什子 Laoshizi (talking nonsense) is a Chinese word that can refer to something or an event that is
useless, futile, unsightly or unpleasant.

凌波文会 Líng bō wén huì eh…tower surge literary meeting…? spelling bee contest…?

三分薄面 You give me three points of thin noodles, and I will return seven points of favor to you.
It's a polite way of saying, if you save some face for me, I'll return the favor to you in the future.